


Ave IKEA

by spectre_corvo



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, IKEA Furniture, M/M, One Shot, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:47:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28905102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spectre_corvo/pseuds/spectre_corvo
Summary: Their last wardrobe had been perfectly fine, but Erwin had suddenly insisted that it needed an upgrade. Levi had a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with an offhand comment he had made about it while they were drinking tea in bed several nights earlier. Levi hadn't meant that it was an eyesore or that it needed replacing, but Erwin, as he often did, took Levi's words to heart and dragged him to IKEA less than a week later.ORLevi and Erwin (attempt to) build an IKEA wardrobe.
Relationships: Levi/Erwin Smith
Comments: 8
Kudos: 79





	Ave IKEA

Levi stared at the stack of boxes that covered the entire surface area of their bedroom floor, each stamped with bold, blocky letters. He did a mental recount of the nineteen packages, some of which were even taller than Erwin. Levi had no idea what possessed Erwin to buy _pieces_ of a wardrobe when he knew full well that neither of them were particularly handy, even if Erwin thought otherwise. 

Their last wardrobe had been perfectly fine, but Erwin had suddenly insisted that it needed an upgrade. Levi had a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with an offhand comment he had made about it while they were drinking tea in bed several nights earlier. Levi hadn't meant that it was an eyesore or that it needed replacing, but Erwin, as he often did, took Levi's words to heart and dragged him to IKEA less than a week later. 

" _PAX AULI_ ," Levi read, over-enunciating each syllable. "At least you can pronounce this one. Do they keyboard smash to get these names? It's ridiculous."

"It's supposed to be Swedish I think. Blame them." Erwin ripped open the smallest box and a bag of screws flew across the room. 

"Jesus, Erwin." Levi picked up the discarded bag and tossed it into Erwin's lap. He didn't even flinch as he had already begun opening a second box with just as much force as the first. The sharp rip of the cardboard sent shivers down Levi's spine. He appreciated the vigor with which Erwin was undertaking this particular endeavor, but boxes were designed in such a way that they could be opened without wreaking absolute havoc.

Levi gathered the discarded instructions from around the room, the combined page count of which likely rivaled that of Erwin's latest novel-in-progress. Levi glanced through what he assumed was the first set of instructions for this sad excuse of a wardrobe and began to regret their decision to hit up IKEA at 4 in the afternoon. After meandering, eating dinner, and the nearly two hour drive back to their apartment, it had gotten close to 8 PM. Levi looked forlornly at the meticulously made bed which had also become riddled with discarded bags and sighed inwardly.

"Sighing isn't going to get this dresser built, Levi." 

Or outwardly apparently. 

"I am aware, _Erwin_ , I'm just trying to make sense of the directions. It's like a manifesto or some shit, but with no words. Why are the screws all numbered? How am I supposed to give verbal instructions? 'Yeah, just grab a _110618_ and screw it into the _100751_ ' as if that means anything. Whatever, this book is from the main box, so I guess we'll start here. Do you have the hinges out?"

When Erwin didn't respond, Levi chucked the booklet which smacked Erwin directly on the back of the head. He flinched and finally gave Levi his attention. 

"What was that for?" 

"I've been talking for the last 45 seconds trying to give you the instructions. Did you hear anything I said?" 

"Don't need them." 

"Sorry?" 

Erwin met his gaze with a little too much ferocity considering they were building a damn _wardrobe_. "I don't need the instructions. I saw what it looked like in the store. Now we just have to put it together."

Levi blinked slowly, disbelief evident on his face. "You're being serious."

"Of course? I used to build stuff with my dad all the time as a kid. This is basically child's play."

"Right." Levi tossed the remaining instructions on the bed and sat next to them. He pulled out his phone and began responding to work emails. He looked back up after a few moments to see Erwin still staring directly at him. "Yes?"

"You're not going to help?"

"Are you kidding?" Levi sneered. "I'm not going to be ordered around by an oaf who's too proud to follow a set of directions." He crossed his legs and went back to his phone. 

He was met with even more silence and he saw Erwin in his peripheral move closer towards the bed. Erwin let out a small sigh, causing Levi to roll his eyes and raise his head. Erwin sat with his shoulders hunched, mouth turned in a slight frown, tapping the floor lightly with his fingers. He looked like a fucking kicked puppy and Levi hated when Erwin did that because he always gave in every single time. 

"Erwin." 

"Levi." 

They stared at each other for a few moments before Levi sighed heavily, laid his phone down, and joined Erwin's side, sitting close enough that their knees touched.

"Thank you," he said with a smug smile on his face.

"Yeah, whatever," Levi mumbled.

❃

"No, you need to get _that_ piece and hold it over _those_ screws." 

"Well I'm sorry I'm not a fucking mind reader."

Erwin sighed heavily and dropped the board he was holding against the wall. Levi finched. 

"You'll leave a dent." 

"It's fucking fine."

"We should have just followed the instructions. I'm pretty sure this piece is for the door, not the shelf." 

"I told you, I don't need instructions. We could've had this done already if you just listened to me and _did_ what I told you to do!" 

Levi stood up abruptly and dropped the screwdriver, fuming. "That is not how this works, Erwin. I work _with_ you, not _for_ you. If you're going to talk to me like that I'm leaving." He turned and walked out of the bedroom, fists clenched. 

"Levi-" 

The door slammed between them. 

Levi entered the bathroom and shut the door with more force than was necessary. He gripped the edge of the sink hard enough that his knuckles turned white and looked at his reflection in the mirror. They were just building a wardrobe for god's sake, why was Erwin being such an _ass_ about it? He didn't need to impress Levi and Erwin knew that.

So why?

He glanced at the clock which read 9:40 PM, well past his preferred bedtime. He took a few deep breaths before pushing himself off the sink. As he opened the bathroom door, he was met with absolute silence, no doubt Erwin had taken a break as well. 

Levi entered the kitchen and filled the kettle. He leaned against the counter and stared blankly at the wall as he waited for the water to boil. He felt his frustration unwind with each passing second. It was late and they were both just tired and frustrated. 

They'd had an eerily similar fight when they'd gone camping. Trying to build the tent had been utter hell and Levi had ended up storming off then too. But, once they had cooled down, they had quickly made up, been able to finish the tent, and had a wonderful time. All they needed was a minute of space to breathe and reflect.

Once the kettle finally clicked off, Levi grabbed two well-used mugs that sat on the lowest shelf. He put a bag of rosehip tea in the black mug and peppermint in the green one, just as he did every night that Erwin made it home before Levi went to bed.

Levi carried the mugs to the bedroom and slowly opened the door. Erwin was leaning against the wall and didn't look up as the door whined. Levi nudged him with his socked foot and held Erwins mug towards him. Erwin took it without meeting his eyes. 

Levi sat carefully next him and waited.

"Sorry," Erwin eventually mumbled. 

Levi blew softly on his tea and took a tentative sip. "I know. It's not really that big of a deal. It's fine, it's just a wardrobe."

"No, it's not." Erwin turned his face and finally looked at Levi. "I shouldn't talk to you like that, even if I'm frustrated. It's not your fault that I was being irrational and you don't deserve to be treated like that." He paused for a moment. "I would punch anyone who talked to you like that."

Erwin balled his free hand into a fist and hit himself in the side, not terribly hard, but with enough force that a bit of tea sloshed over the rim of his mug.

"Well now you're just being dramatic. And watch the tea." Levi grabbed Erwin's fist, coaxed it open, and laced their fingers together. "Thank you for apologizing. I'll also admit that I was not being the easiest to work with either."

Erwin snorted and Levi elbowed him lightly in the side.

"IKEA should honestly be illegal. Selling furniture before it's even furniture feels like a scam."

"Well, as long as suckers like us keep buying from them, they'll just keep getting away with it." Erwin took a long sip. "I don't get why this is so difficult, it's just a dresser."

"Probably has something to with the fact that you decided to toss all of the instructions without a single glance." 

Erwin grunted in response. Levi smiled softly and leaned his head against Erwin's shoulder. 

"Your pride is something else, Smith."

They sat together in comfortable silence until their mugs ran cold and empty. Erwin rose and held his hand out to help Levi up.

"Let's get back to it, shall we?"

"Yeah. However, I think you've done enough damage." Levi looked pointedly at the stack of booklets still laying on the bed. "The instructions are probably made for the lowest common denominator of idiots, so it should help plenty. Let me take a stab at it."

Erwin saluted mockingly and Levi shoved him gently. Erwin stumbled spectacularly but caught himself on the wall. Levi rolled his eyes. 

"Quit being dramatic." Levi placed his hand gently against Erwin's abdomen. "High center of gravity, remember? Three years and you are still as easy to knock over as ever."

"Whatever," Erwin mumbled. He leaned down and gave Levi a soft kiss on the lips, which Levi gladly returned. A few moments later Levi pulled back. 

"Alright, now quit distracting me." 

Levi spent the next five minutes poring over the instructions, attempting to make sense of the mess Erwin had created. He managed to find the correct hinges from the first box and tossed them in Erwin's direction. 

"Let's do this."

After several false starts, Erwin and Levi had managed to make decent headway. Some unscrewing and disassembly had been necessary, but there hadn't been any irreparable damage. They managed to build something resembling a wardrobe frame, but once it came time to install the rails for the sliding doors, they were entirely lost. 

"Okay, this is actually impossible." Levi hurled the booklet on the ground. "And wipe that smile off your damn face, Smith." 

Erwin chuckled and made no attempt to drop the shit-eating grin. "Looks like instructions aren't that much better than my natural building aptitude."

"Oh fuck off. If you hadn't mixed all the parts this would be a fucking breeze."

Erwin held his hands up. "You have a point." He glanced down at his watch. "It's past eleven already. Should we call it a night and try again tomorrow? I know you usually like to be sleeping by now."

Levi tsked. "Like that's stopped you before." 

"You never seem to complain." 

Levi sighed. "I don't think the bed is even usable at this point, for sleep or otherwise."

They stood in silence for a moment, surveying the chaos that had enveloped the entire bedroom. There wasn't an inch on the floor that was free of some type of furniture piece or garbage, and the bed was in no better shape.

"What about YouTube?" 

"Huh?" 

"My student's have told me you can find tutorials for anything on there. I think having real-life visuals would be useful."

"That's actually a good idea." Levi fished his phone from beneath a pile of empty plastic bags. "Okay, these are all under ten minutes. This is totally doable."

And with that, Erwin and Levi got back to work. Though their assembly was nowhere near as smooth as the video's, they were able to make consistent, solid progress. They still bickered and there was plenty of trial and error, but several videos later they finally stood before a fully-built, sturdy wardrobe.

"Holy shit, we actually did it." 

Erwin's hands wrapped around Levi's shoulders, hugging him from behind. He planted a kiss on top of his head. 

"Yeah, we did." 

They stood together for several moments, simply admiring the wardrobe and basking in the sheer relief they felt when it stayed upright. 

However, their moment of reverie was broken when Levi almost lost his footing on a stray plastic sheet. Levi sucked in a sharp breath and felt Erwin tense around him.

"Levi, I think it's a good time for bed-"

"It's a fucking mess."

"Maybe, but we can clean tomorrow." 

"Not a chance." Levi slipped out of Erwin's grip. "You grab all the plastic bits and I'll get the cardboard. We aren't sleeping until every bit of garbage is out of this bedroom." Levi bent down and started collecting the stray cardboard. When Erwin didn't make a move to follow, Levi looked over his shoulder. "Well?"

Erwin sighed heavily, but the corners of his lips were pulled up in a small, fond smile.

"Yes love." 


End file.
